Shoe for mowing-machines.



No. 796,610. PATENTED AUG. 8, 1905;

A. A. SIMPSON & J. NIGHT. SHOE FOR MOWING MACHINES.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 26, 1904.

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. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT A. SIMPSON AND JOSEPH NIGHT, OF POUGHKEEPSIE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORS TO ADRIANCE, PLATT & COMPANY, OF POUGHKEEPSIE,

NEW YORK.

SHOE FOR MOWING-MACHINES.

Specification-of Letters Patent.

Iatented Aug. 8, 1905.

Application filed July 26, 1904:. Serial No. 218,24-1.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that we, ALBERT A. SIMPSON and JOSEPH NIcHT, citizens of the United States, residing at Poughkeepsie, in the county of Dutchess and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Shoes for Mowing-h/Iaehines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the-shoe which supports the inner end of the finger-bar in a harvesting or mowing machine and which is usually called the inside shoe. Such machines are often used interchangeably for mowing or reaping, and differently-constructed shoes are desirable for these different purposes. When the machine is used for mowing, a runner-shaped shoe, which has the wellknown rising front portion for passing easily over the grass, is used. When the machine is used for reaping, it is desirable to have a shoe which is provided at its front end with a wheel, which assists in carrying the additional weight. of the reaping attachment.

The object of this invention is to provide such amachine with an inside shoe which can be easily converted from arunner-shaped shoe into a wheel-shoe, or vice versa, at the desire of the operator and without disconnecting the shoe from the finger-bar and other connecting parts of the machine. To that end the shoe is constructed in two parts-a main or body portion, which is secured to the fingerbar and the coupling parts of the machine, and a front piece, which is detachably secured to the front end of the body portion and which is an upturned sliding front piece when the machine is used for mowing or a bracket or neck carrying a wheel when the machine is used for reaping.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of this impoved inside shoe and connecting parts arranged for use in mowing. Fig. 2\IS a detached longitudinal vertical section through the shoe in line2 2, Fig. 1, with the parts of the coupling apparatus omitted. Fig. 3 is a top plan View of the inside shoe convertedjnto a wheel-shoe for use in reaping. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical section through this shoe in line 4 4, Fig. 3.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures.

A represents the finger-bar of a harvesting or mowing machine, B the main or rear coupling-bar, C the front coupling bar or brace, D the cutter-bar, and E the pitman, all of any ordinary or suitable construction.

Frepresents the main or body portion of the shoe, which is long enough to receive the finger-bar and coupling apparatus and which is provided with the necessary devices for making proper connection with these parts. As shown in the drawings, the finger-bar A is secured upon the shoe and carries the usual lug g, which in connection with asimilar lug 9, formed on the rear end of the shoe, receives the longitudinal bolt 71, by which the rear or main coupling-bar B is connected with the shoe. The body portion F of the shoe is provided at its front end with a pair of lugs 70, between which the front coupling bar or brace C is arranged and to which this brace is connected by a longitudinal bolt Z. The parts by which the coupling apparatus is connected with the shoe may, however, be of any other suitable construction as the particular style of coupling apparatus or other considerations may render desirable.

M, Figs. 1 and 2, represents the runnershaped front piece of the shoe, which front piece is secured to the body portion of the shoe when the machine is to be used for'mowing. The front piece is curved or inclined forwardly and upwardly and is arranged with its lower rear end against the under side of a seat a, which latter has at its rear end a shoulder n, against which the rear end of the front piece M abuts' This front piece has on its upper side a shoulder m, which bears against the front end of the seat a and is detachably secured to the seat 12 by bolts 0. The front piece is preferably provided at its front end with an opening 9 for receiving the usual upwardly and backwardly curved rod P, which serves to guide the long grass to the cutters and which is shown in Fig. 2, but omitted in Fig. 1. The shoe is further provided with the usual runner Q, which is secured at its front end to the front piece M by a bolt q and at its rear end to the rear end of the body portion of the shoe by a bolt q.

R, Figs. 3 and 4, represents the. wheeled front piece which is applied to the shoe when the machine is to be used for reaping. This front piece has preferably the form of a ribbed neck or bracket, and is provided at its front end with an uprights lot 9, in which the stud 9" is adjustably secured, on which the wheel R is mounted. The rear end of the front piece R- is provided with a shoulder formed by a transverse rib r which shoulder bears against the front end of the seat n of the body portion of the shoe. The wheeled front piece is secured to this seat by the bolts 0 in the same mannerin Which the runner-shaped front piece M is secured thereto, and either front piece can be so secured to the body portion of the shoe at the option of the operator.

The body portion of the shoe is permanently secured to the finger-bar and couplingbars and is not disturbed in changing from the runner-shaped front piece to the wheeled front piece, or vice versa. The shoe is, however, readily changed by simply detaching the front piece and replacing it by an interchangeable piece of a different construction, removing the runner Q if changing from the runner-shaped shoe to the wheeled shoe. and applying the runner again when changing from the Wheeled shoe to the runner-shaped shoe. This enables the user of the machine to adapt the shoe quickly and with great convenience to the particular kind of work which the machine is desired to perform, and so does away with the troublesome operations of detaching the shoe itself from the finger-bar and coupling apparatus and replacing the shoe by a different complete shoe, or of converting one kind of shoe into another by adding Va rious parts.

The parts of this improved shoe are extremely simple in construction, and the shoe, with its interchangeable front piece, can be produced at comparatively small expense.

We claim as our invention 1. The combination of the body portion of a shoe, a finger-bar and a coupling apparatus secured thereto, and interchangeable front pieces provided with means for detachable connection to the front end of the body portion of the shoe, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of the body portion of a shoe having at its front end a forwardlyprojecting seat which is provided with a shoulder, a finger-bar and a coupling apparatus secured to said body portion, a rigid front piece which extends forwardly and upwardly from the bottom of the body portion and is arranged with its rear portion against said seat, and means for securing said front piece detachably to said seat, substantially as set forth.

Witness our hands this 21st day of July,

ALBERT A. SIMPSON. JOSEPH NIGHT. Witnesses:

G. M. PATTEN, WEBSTER D. HASBROUOK. 

